生平

彭越原本捕魚為生，也曾聚眾為盜匪，對抗官府。秦末陳勝、吳廣發動大澤之變後，彭越被鄉里推舉起兵。起初彭越不願，後來被催促，只好約定次日清晨某時集結起義，次日人群零零星星前來，最後一個人居然直到中午才到，彭越說：「大家公推我領導，必須建立紀律。今天聚集起兵，大家都遲到，無法依照軍法處斬這麼多人，只好斬最後一個到的。」於是中午才到者當場斬首，建立軍威。

秦亡，項羽分封入關諸侯，彭越未得封賞。

漢王元年（前206年），因封賞不均，齊田榮舉兵，自立為齊王，攻項羽所封之齊王（臨淄王）田都和濟北王田安。田榮攏絡彭越，給彭越將軍的印信，讓他到濟陰攻擊楚兵，大破楚將蕭公角。

漢王二年（前205年），被漢王劉邦收買，拜彭越為魏國國相，其實獨立於魏王豹，彭越仍然統帥自己的部隊，略定梁地。

漢王三年五月（前203年），彭越率軍渡睢水，與楚將項聲、薛公戰於下邳（今江蘇邳州古邳鎮），擊殺薛公。

漢王三年九月，劉邦採用郎中鄭忠之策，派將軍劉賈、盧綰將卒二萬人、騎數百，由渡白馬津，進入楚地佐助彭越。漢軍與彭越聯軍燒掉楚軍積聚的糧草，楚軍乏食。楚軍回擊劉賈，劉賈堅守不出不與楚軍交戰，與彭越互相呼應。

接著彭越攻梁地，下睢陽、外黃等十七城。項羽無奈，只好留大司馬曹咎守成皋，囑令不與出戰。然後東擊彭越，迅速拿下陳留、睢陽、外黃等地。彭越敗北，逃到谷城。

漢王四年秋，項羽南走陽夏，彭越趁勢攻取昌邑旁二十餘城，得穀十餘萬斛，送給漢軍。

漢王五年冬十月，劉邦立彭越為梁王，統治睢陽以北至谷城，於是出兵助漢。十一月，漢將劉賈渡淮圍壽春，楚大司馬周殷叛楚，在舒縣、六縣屠城，舉九江兵迎英布，並在城父屠城。

漢高祖十一年，劉邦討伐陽夏侯陳豨，要彭越出兵援助，彭越稱病不往，只派部將衛胠帶兵前往。劉邦滅陳豨後，有人告發彭越預謀造反。

彭越被劉邦下令拘捕後，廢為庶人，流放蜀郡青衣縣（今四川省樂山市）。途中，彭越遇到呂后，向她求情，希望發配回故鄉昌邑。呂后假裝應允，並將彭越帶回洛陽，但又命彭越的舍人控告彭越再次謀反，隨即將彭越處斬，廷尉王恬開以謀反罪判處彭越滅族，劉邦允之。

彭越屍體被呂后處以醢刑（剁成肉醬），分賜天下王公，用以威嚇諸侯。

墓地

彭越墓位于河北省保定市清苑縣城西南21公里，北王力村北15公里處，唐河南岸。傳說原規模很大，墓前有石馬、石人、石碑、牌坊，南北向有神道，神道兩側有石像生等。現存彭越墓封土長8米，寬28米，高0.8米，占地面積22.4平方米。墓前石人、石馬已沉入地下，文化大革命期間曾挖出石翁仲，後又埋入地下。

1982年，彭越墓列為河北省文物保護單位。

部下

• 扈輒，陳豨叛變時，彭越稱病不往，劉邦大怒，扈輒勸彭越造反，彭越不聽。

• 衛胠，陳豨叛變時，彭越稱病不往，僅派將軍衛胠前往支援。

• 欒布，彭越故友，遭盜賊擄走，販賣至燕地，卻從一名奴隸變成燕王臧荼的將領，燕王叛亂被平定後，彭越請求釋放欒布，讓欒布到自己的王府。

• 李超，李信之子。

評價

• 呂雉：「彭越壯士也，今徙之蜀，此自遺患。」（《史記·卷九十·魏豹彭越列傳第三十》）

• 欒布：「方上之困于彭城，敗滎陽、成皋間，項王所以遂不能西者，徒以彭王居梁地，與漢合從苦楚也。當是之時，王一顧，與楚則漢破，與漢則楚破。且垓下之會，微彭王，項氏不亡。天下已定，彭王剖符受封，亦欲傳之萬世。今陛下一徵兵于梁，彭王病不行。而陛下疑以為反；反形未具，以苛小案誅滅之。」

• 英布：「上老矣，厭兵，必不能來。使諸將，諸將獨患淮陰、彭越，今皆已死，餘不足畏也。」（《史記·卷九十一·黥布列傳第三十一》）

• 司馬遷：「魏豹、彭越雖故賤，然已席捲千里，南面稱孤，乘勝日有聞矣。懷畔逆之意，及敗，不死而虜囚，身被刑戮，何哉？中材已上且羞其行，況王者乎！彼無異故，智略絕人，獨患無身耳。得攝尺寸之柄，其雲蒸龍變，欲有所會其度，以故幽囚而不辭雲。」（《史記·卷九十·魏豹彭越列傳第三十》）

• 班固：「高祖定天下，功臣異姓而王者八國。張耳、吳芮、彭越、黥布、臧荼、盧綰與兩韓信（韓信、韓王信），皆徼一時之權變，以詐力成功，咸得裂土，南面稱孤。見疑強大，懷不自安，事窮勢迫，卒謀叛逆，終于滅亡。」（《漢書·卷三十四》）

• 陸機：「彭越觀時，張跡匿光。人具爾瞻，翼爾鷹揚。威凌楚城，質委漢王。靖難河濟，即宮舊粱。」

• 司馬貞：「魏咎兄弟，因時而王。豹後屬楚，其國遂亡。仲起昌邑，歸漢外黃。往來聲援，再續軍糧。徵兵不往，菹醢何傷。」（《史記索隱述贊》）

• 張說：「師倩沈勇而能斷，求之古人，彭越、吳漢類也。」（《全唐文·卷二百二十三 》）

• 蘇洵：「漢之衛、霍、趙充國，唐之李靖、李勣，賢將也。漢之韓信、黥布、彭越，唐之薛萬徹、侯君集、盛彥師，才將也。賢將既不多有，得才者而任之可也。」

• 陳元靚：「仡仡彭王，用歸漢祖。血戰群龍，風從彪虎。威懾萬夫，氣雄陣鼓。攻滅秦項，清夷區宇。奮發巨野，封崇梁土。信布齊名，推揚我武。」（《事林廣記後集》）

藝術

文學作品

• 《喻世明言》，馮夢龍著。第三十一回，說劉備乃彭越轉世。

• 原著《三國演義》第九回，李傕以彭越撓楚之法擊退呂布。

影視作品

Life

Uprising

Peng Yue was a native of Changyi (present-day Jinxiang County, Shandong), and was originally a fisherman. Following the Dazexiang Uprising in 209 BC, Peng Yue was nominated by his fellows to be their leader and he led an uprising against the Qin dynasty. Initially, Peng Yue was reluctant to rebel, but obliged eventually and he arranged for his supporters to meet him the next morning. However, his men did not arrive on time and the last one came at noon. Peng Yue said, "Since everyone has chosen me to be the leader, there must be discipline. As there are too many people who were late today, I cannot possibly punish all of them. The last man to arrive will be executed."

Chu-Han Contention

In 205 BC, Peng Yue allied with Liu Bang, the King of Han, and became one of Liu's generals after Liu promised to grant him land and the title of a vassal king. Earlier on, Peng Yue had refused to send his troops to help Liu Bang, that resulted in the latter's defeat by Xiang Yu at the Battle of Guling. Three years later, Peng Yue conquered more than 20 cities around Changyi and acquired a large amount of supplies. He then led his troops southwards and joined the armies of Han Xin and Liu Bang at the Battle of Gaixia against Xiang Yu. Peng Yue's contributed greatly to the eventual Han victory over Xiang Yu. After Liu Bang founded the Han dynasty, Peng Yue was conferred the title of "King of Liang" (梁王) and granted the lands of former Wei state as his kingdom.

Death

In 196 BC, Liu Bang led an army to suppress a rebellion by Chen Xi, the Marquis of Yangxia, and he requested reinforcements from Peng Yue. Peng Yue claimed to be ill and sent his subordinates to help Liu Bang in place of himself. After Chen Xi's rebellion was quelled, Liu Bang heard rumours that Peng Yue was intending to rebel against him as well, and he had Peng arrested. Peng Yue was demoted to the status of a commoner and exiled to the remote Qingyi County (in present-day Ya'an, Sichuan). Along the way, Peng Yue encountered Empress Lü Zhi, who wanted to have him killed. He pleaded with her to spare his life and let him return home to Changyi, and the empress pretended to agree. Peng Yue was brought back to Luoyang where he was subsequently executed. Empress Lü ordered his clan be put to death as well. Peng Yue's corpse was minced into pieces, salted like meat, and distributed to all the noble families of China, who found this very disturbing.

Legacy

Peng Yue is sometimes venerated as a door god in Chinese and Taoist temples, usually partnered with Ying Bu. He is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei.